Culture Gram 2010
CHILE (with a focus on the city of Valdivia)
Background:
Land and Climate
A long and narrow coastal country on the west side of the Andes Mountains,
Chile stretches over 2,880 miles north to south but only 265 miles at its widest point
east to west. This encompasses a remarkable variety of landscapes; the northern
Atacama Desert contains great mineral wealth, primarily copper and nitrates. The
relatively small Central Valley, which includes Santiago, dominates the country in
terms of population and agricultural resources. Southern Chile is rich in forests,
grazing lands, and features a string of volcanoes and lakes. The southern coast is a
labyrinth of fjords, inlets, canals, twisting peninsulas, and islands. The Andes
Mountains are located on the eastern border.
Chile is the longest north-south country in the world, and also claims
480,000 square miles of Antarctica as part of its territory. Chile controls Easter
Island, Robinson Crusoe Island in the Juan
Fernández Islands, and Sala y Gómez Island,
the easternmost islands of Polynesia. Easter
Island is today a province of Chile.
The climate of Chile comprises a
wide range of weather conditions across a
large geographic scale, extending across 38
degrees in latitude, making generalizations
difficult. According to the Köppen system,
Chile within its borders hosts at least seven
major climatic subtypes, ranging from
desert in the north, to alpine tundra and
glaciers in the east and south east, humid
subtropical in Easter Island, Oceanic in the
south and Mediterranean climate in central
Chile.
There are four seasons in most of
the country: summer (December to
February), autumn (March to May), winter
(June to August), and spring (September to
November).
Valdivia is a city in southern Chile. The city is named after its founder Pedro
de Valdivia and is located at the confluence of the Calle-Calle, Valdivia and Cau-Cau
Rivers, approximately 20 miles east of the coastal towns of Corral and Niebla. Since
October 2007, Valdivia has been the capital of the newly created Los Ríos Region
and is also the capital of Valdivia Province.
Valdivia has a temperate rainy climate with Mediterranean influences. In
short Valdivia features a Marine west coast climate, an oceanic climate with a
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distinct drying trend during the summer. A similar climate is found in the Pacific
Northwest region of North America.
History
About 10,000 years ago, migrating Native Americans settled in fertile valleys
and coastal areas of what is present-day Chile. The Incas briefly extended their
empire into what is now northern Chile, but the Mapuche (or Araucanians as they
were known by the Spaniards) successfully resisted many attempts by the Inca
Empire to subjugate them, despite their lack of state organization.
In 1520, while attempting to circumnavigate the earth, Ferdinand Magellan
discovered the southern passage now named after him, the Strait of Magellan. The
next Europeans to reach Chile were Diego de Almagro and his band of Spanish
conquistadors, who came from Peru in 1535 seeking gold. The Spanish encountered
various cultures that supported themselves principally through slash-and-burn
agriculture and hunting. The conquest of Chile began in earnest in 1540 and was
carried out by Pedro de Valdivia, one of Francisco Pizarro's lieutenants, who
founded the city of Santiago on February 12, 1541. Although the Spanish did not find
the extensive gold and silver they sought, they recognized the agricultural potential
of Chile's central valley, and Chile became part of the Spanish Empire.
Conquest of the land took place gradually, and the Europeans suffered
repeated setbacks at the hands of the local population. A massive Mapuche
insurrection that began in 1553 resulted in Pedro de Valdivia's death and the
destruction of many of the colony's principal settlements. Subsequent major
uprisings took place in 1598 and in 1655. Each time the Mapuche and other native
groups revolted, the southern border of the colony was driven northward. The
abolition of slavery by the Spanish crown in 1683 was done in recognition that
enslaving the Mapuche intensified resistance rather than cowing them into
submission. Despite the royal prohibitions relations remained strained from
continual colonialist interference
A national junta in the name of Ferdinand – heir to the deposed king – was
formed on September 18, 1810. The Government Junta of Chile proclaimed Chile an
autonomous republic within the Spanish monarchy (in memory of this day Chile
celebrates its National Day on September 18 each year). After these events, a
movement for total independence, under the command of José Miguel Carrera (one
of the most renowned patriots) and his two brothers Juan José and Luis Carrera,
soon gained a wider following. On February 12, 1818, Chile was proclaimed an
independent republic. The political revolt brought little social change, however, and
19th century Chilean society preserved the essence of the stratified colonial social
structure, which was greatly influenced by family politics and the Roman Catholic
Church. A strong presidency eventually emerged, but wealthy landowners remained
powerful.
Toward the end of the 19th century, the government in Santiago
consolidated its position in the south by ruthlessly suppressing the Mapuche during
the Occupation of Araucanía. In 1881, it signed a treaty with Argentina confirming
Chilean sovereignty over the Strait of Magellan. As a result of the War of the Pacific
with Peru and Bolivia (1879–83), Chile expanded its territory northward by almost
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one-third, eliminating Bolivia's access to the Pacific, and acquired valuable nitrate
deposits, the exploitation of which led to an era of national affluence. The Chilean
Civil War in 1891 brought about a redistribution of power between the President
and Congress, and Chile established a parliamentary style democracy.
By the 1920s, the emerging middle and working classes were powerful
enough to elect a reformist president, Arturo Alessandri Palma, whose program was
frustrated by a conservative congress. In the 1920s, Marxist groups with strong
popular support arose. A military coup led by General Luis Altamirano in 1924 set
off a period of great political instability that lasted until 1932. The longest lasting of
the ten governments between those years was that of General Carlos Ibáñez del
Campo, who briefly held power in 1925 and then again between 1927 and 1931 in
what was a de facto dictatorship. By relinquishing power to a democratically elected
successor, Ibáñez del Campo retained the respect of a large enough segment of the
population to remain a viable politician for more than thirty years, in spite of the
vague and shifting nature of his ideology. When constitutional rule was restored in
1932, a strong middle-class party, the Radicals, emerged. It became the key force in
coalition governments for the next 20 years. During the period of Radical Party
dominance (1932–52), the state increased its role in the economy. In 1952, voters
returned Ibáñez del Campo to office for another six years. Jorge Alessandri
succeeded Ibáñez del Campo in 1958, bringing Chilean conservatism back into
power democratically for another term. The 1964 presidential election of Christian
Democrat Eduardo Frei Montalva by an absolute majority initiated a period of major
reform. Under the slogan "Revolution in Liberty", the Frei administration embarked
on far-reaching social and economic programs, particularly in education, housing,
and agrarian reform, including rural unionization of agricultural workers. By 1967,
however, Frei encountered increasing opposition from leftists, who charged that his
reforms were inadequate, and from conservatives, who found them excessive. At the
end of his term, Frei had not fully achieved his party's ambitious goals.
In the 1970 election, Senator Salvador Allende of the Socialist Party of Chile
(part of the "Popular Unity" coalition which included the Communists, Radicals,
Social-Democrats, dissident Christian Democrats, the Popular Unitary Action
Movement, and the Independent Popular Action) became the next President of Chile.
An economic depression that began in 1972 bottomed out in 1975, exacerbated by
capital flight, plummeting private investment, and withdrawal of bank deposits in
response to Allende's socialist program. Production fell and unemployment rose.
Allende adopted measures including price freezes, wage increases, and tax reforms,
to increase consumer spending and redistribute income downward. Allende's
program included advancement of workers' interests, replacing the judicial system
with "socialist legality", nationalization of banks and forcing others to bankruptcy,
and strengthening "popular militias" known as MIR. By early 1973, inflation was out
of control. The crippled economy was further battered by prolonged and sometimes
simultaneous strikes by physicians, teachers, students, truck owners, copper
workers, and the small business class.
Finally, a military coup overthrew Allende on September 11, 1973. As the
armed forces bombarded the presidential palace of (Palacio de La Moneda), Allende
reportedly had committed suicide. A military junta, led by General Augusto Pinochet
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Ugarte, took over control of the country. The first years of the regime were marked
by human rights violations and on October 1973 at least 72 people were murdered
by the Caravan of Death. In the time of Pinochet’s rule at least 2,115 were killed and
at least 27,265 were tortured.
A new Constitution was approved by a controversial plebiscite on September
11, 1980, and General Pinochet became president of the republic for an 8-year term.
In the late 1980s, the government gradually permitted greater freedom of assembly,
speech, and association, to include trade union and political activity. Chile moved
toward a free market economy that saw an increase in domestic and foreign private
investment, although the copper industry and other important mineral resources
were not opened for competition.
In a plebiscite on October 5, 1988, General Pinochet was denied a second 8year term as president (56% against 44%). Chileans elected a new president and the
majority of members of a two-chamber congress on December 14, 1989. Christian
Democrat Patricio Aylwin, the candidate of a coalition of 17 political parties called
the Concertación, received an absolute majority of votes (55%). President Aylwin
served from 1990 to 1994, in what was considered a transition period.
In January 2006, Chileans elected their first female president, Michelle
Bachelet Jeria, of the Socialist Party and in January 2010, Chileans elected Sebastián
Piñera, of the National Renewal party of the right-wing Coalition for Change.
The city of Valdivia and Chiloé Island were once the two southernmost
enclaves of the Spanish Empire. From 1645 to 1740, the city depended directly on
the Viceroyalty of Peru that financed the building of the Valdivian fort system, which
turned Valdivia into one of the most fortified cities of the New World.
In the second half of 19th century, Valdivia was the port of entry for German
immigrants who were given land and settled in the surrounding areas. The city was
severely damaged by the Great Chilean Earthquake of 1960 — the most powerful
earthquake ever recorded. Debris and destroyed buildings from the earthquake can
still be found in the suburban areas — land subsidence and sediments make
navigation of the local rivers complex, with some ruined buildings still adjoining the
water.
People:
Population
Chile’s population of around 15.5 million
people is a multiethnic population; many descending
from European settlers, predominantly the Spanish
(Castilian, Andalusian and Basque). The remaining
minorities consist of German, Italian, Irish, French,
British, Swiss, and Croatian ancestry. There is also a
“Mestizo” segment which would derive it’s European
component from colonial Spanish settlers with its
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Amerindian component from various tribes (mainly the Mapuche Indians).
About 85% of Chile’s population lives in urban areas, with 40% of the entire
population living in the Greater Santiago area.
The city of Valdivia had 140,559 inhabitants (Valdivianos) according to the
2002 census.
Language
Spanish is the primary language spoken in Chile, but is quite distinct from its
Latin American neighbors. The Spanish spoken in Chile is distinctively accented and
final syllables and "s" sounds are often dropped, and some consonants have a soft
pronunciation. Accent varies only very slightly from north to south; more noticeable
are the small differences in accent based on social class or whether one lives in the
city or the country. Like most languages, “slang” or “modismos” are commonly used
and are sometimes difficult to identify to the non-Chilean Spanish speaker.
German is spoken to a great extent in southern Chile, either in small
countryside pockets or as a second language among the communities of larger cities.
Through initiatives such as the English Opens Doors program, the government made
English mandatory for students in fifth-grade and above in public schools. Most
private schools in Chile start teaching English from kindergarten. Common English
words have been absorbed and appropriated into everyday Spanish speech. There
are several indigenous languages spoken in Chile: Mapudungun, Quechua, Aymara
and Rapa Nui. After the Spanish invasion, Spanish took over as the lingua franca and
the indigenous languages have become minority languages, with some now extinct
or close to extinction.
Religion
Roman Catholicism is the predominantly practiced religion in Chile and is
declared as the national religion with over 70% of the population declaring to be
practicing Roman Catholics.
The Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and other laws and
policies contribute to the generally free practice of religion. The law at all levels
protects this right in full against abuse, either by governmental or private actors.
Church and state are officially separate in Chile. The 1999 law on religion prohibits
religious discrimination. However, the Catholic Church enjoys a privileged status
and occasionally receives preferential treatment. Government officials attend
Catholic events as well as major Protestant and Jewish ceremonies.
The Government-observed religious holidays include Christmas, Good
Friday, the Feast of the Virgin of Carmen, the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, the
Feast of the Assumption, All Saints' Day, and the Feast of the Immaculate Conception
as national holidays. The government has recently declared October 31,
Reformation Day, a public national holiday, in honor of the Protestant churches of
the country.
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General Attitudes
Chileans value family, education, and respect. The Chilean disposition is
jovial, open and helpful. Manners are very important and formality of language and
conduct is always considered important when addressing an elder or stranger.
Humor and sarcasm are commonplace among majority of Chileans.
Customs and Courtesies:
Greetings
As is typical with most Latin American countries, warm greetings are
customary. For women, it is respectful to greet both men and other women of all
ages with one kiss on the check, generally right cheek to right cheek. For men, when
greeting women a kiss on the cheek is appropriate. When men are greeting men, a
handshake is acceptable.
Visiting and Eating
Chilean’s pride themselves in entertaining and having guests and parties for
special events. The home is a very welcome place for guests and visitors where
great meals are prepared, cocktails served, and hours of conversation to follow. In
some houses, there is a special room for entertaining
called a “Quincho” where there is generally a large
space with a large table(s) and a pit or stove for
barbequing.
Eating out at restaurants is not
commonplace, and generally all meals are prepared
at home. When eating out, it is generally for a very
special occasion when honoring one or many people.
For example, mothers day in a multigenerational
family or a farewell party for a visiting group of
students at a university.
Lifestyle:
Family
Families are very tight-knit in Chile. It is more common to have two or more
children with a large amount of spacing between each child, sometimes more than
seven or eight years between. Older generations are revered and highly respected.
Divorce is not common like it is in the United States and status of women has not yet
reached equality but has made extreme advances over the years.
Dating and Marriage
Dating occurs generally between the ages of 13-30, and public displays of
affection are extrememly common from the younger age-range. It is not uncommon
to walk down a street and see a young couple “necking” on a park bench.
Marriage normally does not occur until later in life, mid-to-late twenties.
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Diet
Since Chile is a long and skinny coastal
country, the diet largely consists of shellfish and
seafood. Paila and Curanto are common dishes;
they are basically a seafood stew/soup.
Fresh fruits and vegetables are also an
important part of the diet, but specialty items such
as Paella (a Spanish dish) and empanadas con
mariscos are very typical of Chile.
Lunch is the most important meal of the day to all Chileans. Schools and work
places shut down for at least one hour, sending everyone home to enjoy lunch with
their families. These meals are often the most extravagant of the day, often served
with wine (depending on the content of the meal). This meal is typically followed by
dessert, postre, consisting of fresh fruit.
For dinner, or la once, a smaller meal of toast and avocado (palta) and cheese
is common. This meal is more like a night-time snack than a meal, and is often
served with tea or coffee.
Recreation
A great deal of the population takes soap operas (telenovelas) very seriously.
These TV programs do not hold the same reputation as they do in the United States,
they are very serious, and entertaining programs.
Soccer (futbol) is a popular past-time and is also taken very seriously. Chile
recently played in the 2010 World Cup for the first time in 52 years. Although the
team did not advance far in the competition, the entire nation became united with
this participation and schools would close down to watch the games when they
were aired on television.
Society:
Government
The Congress of Chile has a 38-seat Senate and a 120-member Chamber of
Deputies. Senators serve for 8 years with staggered terms, while deputies are
elected every 4 years. The last congressional elections were held on December 13,
2009, concurrently with the presidential election. The Congress is located in the
port city of Valparaíso, about 140 kilometres (84 mi) west of the capital, Santiago.
Chile's judiciary is independent and includes a court of appeal, a system of
military courts, a constitutional tribunal, and the Supreme Court of Chile. In June
2005, Chile completed a nation-wide overhaul of its criminal justice system. The
reform has replaced inquisitorial proceedings with an adversarial system more
similar to that of the United States.
Chile is divided into 15 regions, each headed by an intendant appointed by
the president. The regions are further divided into provinces, with provincial
governors also appointed by the president. Finally, each province is divided into
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communes that are administered by municipalities, each with its own mayor and
council elected for four-year terms. Each region is designated by a name and a
Roman numeral, assigned from north to south. The only exception is the Santiago
Metropolitan Region that is designated RM (Región Metropolitana).
Economy
Chile has a dynamic market-oriented economy that is characterized by a high
level of foreign trade. During the early 1990s, Chile's reputation as a role model for
economic reform was strengthened when the democratic government of Patricio
Aylwin – who took over from the military in 1990 – deepened the economic reform
initiated by the military government.
In 2006, Chile became the country with the highest nominal GDP per capita
in Latin America. The government's role in the economy is mostly limited to
regulation, although the state continues to operate copper giant CODELCO and a few
other enterprises (there is one state-run bank). Chile is strongly committed to free
trade and has welcomed large amounts of foreign investment. Chile has signed free
trade agreements (FTAs) with a whole network of countries, including an FTA with
the United States that was signed in 2003 and implemented in January 2004.
Chile's overall trade profile has traditionally been dependent upon copper
exports. The state-owned firm CODELCO is the world's largest copper-producing
company, with recorded copper reserves of 200 years. Chile has made an effort to
expand nontraditional exports. The most important non-mineral exports are
forestry and wood products, fresh fruit and processed food, fishmeal and seafood,
and wine.
The main economic activities in Valdivia include tourism, wood pulp
manufacturing, forestry, metallurgy, and beer production. The city is also the home
of the Universidad Austral de Chile, founded in 1954, and Centro de Estudios
Científicos.
Transportation
The most widely used form of transportation in the medium to large sized
cities is that of the colectivo or the micro. A colectivo is similar to a taxi but with
routes unique to each certain neighborhoods; these routes are identified by certain
colors. Micros also run a certain route but with a number system. Micros are a
cheaper form of travel, and students often receive a discounted price Monday
through Friday. However, micros only operate for certain hours of the day wheras
colectivos operate at all hours.
Education
The levels of education in Chile are: Pre-school (for children up to 5 years
old, optional for 1 grade), Primary school (Enseñanza básica, for children from 5–
13 years old, divided into 8 grades), Secondary school (Enseñanza media, for
teenagers from 13–18 years old, divided into 4 grades), and University (a system
divided in public or “state” universities and a private system.
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Secondary school is also divided into: (1) Scientific-humanities approach:
From Tercero Medio (11th grade) in high school, students can choose a major in
either science (math, physics, chemistry, biology), or humanities (literature, history,
philosophy), which means they will get more lessons in the area of their choice. (2)
Technical-Professional education: Students receive 'extra' education in the so-called
'technical' areas, such as electricity, mechanics, metal assembly, etc. This second
type of education is more typical of public schools (Liceos), to give students from
poorer areas a chance to work right away after completion of highschool, as a way
to fund a possible higher education career later.
Students can choose between 25 state universities and over 50 private ones,
which are increasingly growing in number. However many of the newer private
univerisites are considered of inferior quality when comparing to the older
traditional universities. The difference in quality is accompanied by large
differences in prestige rankings.
Many students who come from low-income families find that their chances of
admission to universities are diminished. However, many talented students who
cannot afford school qualify for scholarships, either from the government or from
the universities themselves. For students who obtained high enough scores to enter
a public university or to an accredited private university, there is a system of
government-backed loans which is offered through several commercial banks, but
the amount and terms of the credits not necessarily fit the needs of the students.
Health
The Ministry of Health of, also known as MINSAL, is the cabinet-level
administrative office in charge of planning, directing, coordinating, executing,
controlling and informing the public health policies formulated by the President of
Chile.
Fondo Nacional de Salud also known as FONASA is the funding branch of the
Ministry of Health (Chile). The National Health Fund (FONASA), created in 1979 by
Decree Law No. 2763, is the financial entity entrusted to collect, manage and
distribute state funds for health in Chile. This system is funded completely by the
public; notably, all employees pay 7% of their monthly income to FONASA.
More than 12 million beneficiaries benefit from FONASA. Despite universal
health care, beneficiaries can opt for more costly private insurance through ISAPRE.
Political questions have been raised due to very wealthy beneficiaries opting for
ISAPRE and thus generating health care inequity.
Contact Information:
Embassy of Chile
Address: 1732 Massachusetts Ave., NW Washington, DC 20036
Web Site: http://www.chile-usa.org/index.html
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General Consulate of Chile in Chicago
Address: 1415 N. Dayton St, 2nd Floor, Chicago, IL 60642
Hours: 8:00am – 1:00pm
Telephone: (312) 654-8780
Fax: (312) 654-8948
Email Address: canciller@cgchicago.com; informaciones@cgchicago.com;
secreconsul@cgchicago.com
Web Site: www.chileanconsulatechicago.org